ADHD

Hyperactivity

Hyperactivity is not a symptom but it is fashionable to talk about this condition. There are plenty of movies, books, and lectures on this topic. Why? In fact, over the last few years we have witnessed the birth of an increasing number of children with somewhat different characteristics. They differ primarily in the way they react to the social environment in the developed world. This is verified by many technicians and specialists in human interaction, and child interaction in particular. This type of children always existed but now it seems to be much more prevalent and will continue to grow in numbers. These children are more open, and more idealistic. They are not absorbed in society.

Since they are different, society tends to label them as ‘children with problems’.

But in fact, they are simply not adapted.

Children who are not adapted are not ill. In the Anglo Saxon countries, they use the terms ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), which means that they cannot focus their attention and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) when they are also hyperactive.

In fact they may be inattentive, disobedient, contradictory, difficult, idealistic, and dysfunctional …

But what are, really, the characteristics of these children? These children are much more likely to be childish, in the sense of daydreaming, fantasizing, being idealistic. The child labelled ADD does not, in fact, suffer from attention disorder but rather from a heightened sense of attention that is not limited to the four walls around him. His attention goes beyond the room, disappears from the room and explores the surrounding space. This child is paying attention to everything, captures thousands of details, and is not focused on the teacher. His attention is based on his intuition and is, literally, connected to the environment. He is like a butterfly! He does not focus on any object for too long because, in a matter of seconds, he captures much more than the “normal” child does in a thirty minute span. This child does not focus his attention in a restricted way. Rather, he allows his attention to wander but when something catches his interest, then, he can focus. The basic difference between the ADD child and the ADHD child is that the hyperactive child must let his body follow whatever gets his attention. It is not enough to look or sense, it is necessary to go to it. He moves constantly as if he were still three or four years old.

For instance, Flaubert, the great French writer, did not learn how to write until he was thirteen years old. The great creative thinkers were, in their majority, bad students in school. They were too open.

These more open children experience great frustrations with the way their families act, the same regarding school and society in general.

Each child must be accepted the way he is. However, society seeks to change him rather than to accept him as he is.

These children hate answering rote questions, assessment questions. They only enjoy answering questions for which no answer has already been given. For example, they will say: “I won’t answer this question because it is not a true question. The teacher already gave the answer in class.” It is as if they feel like they are being assessed: “Are you testing me? What business is it of yours? That’s my deal.”

These children must be surrounded by adults who understand that they follow their intuition and that the realm of the ego does not make sense to them; they are true geniuses with many talents.

These children despise obedience. They prefer discipline, which is very different from obedience. They despise theoretic values devised by an adult abstract society. They need to have behaviour references. These children need to feel that they are partakers in the decisions made by adults. They must feel involved in the process and be able to propose ideas. They must be consulted with real questions, not false and manipulative questions or orders. Adults should praise, emphasize, and play up these children’s talents instead of punishing them for the fragility they feel when they come in contact with order and obedience. If the adult understands what it means to work with intuition, he has much better contact with these children who, after all, came to help humanity change.